Watch Your Hearts, Mommies!

This post is brought to you by Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

Little red hats prompt area mothers to be mindful of their own heart health

You’ve probably heard that heart disease is the number-one killer among Americans, but did you know that about 80 percent of heart disease deaths could be prevented each year?

That’s why it’s so important for new moms to live heart-healthy lives following the birth of their babies, and to keep a healthy lifestyle as their children grow.

Wolfson Children's Hospital

‘Little Hats, Big Hearts’

One way Baptist Health is helping to remind new moms and everyone in the family to be more conscious about their heart health is by handing out little red hats to all babies born in February at Baptist Health hospitals or in one of Wolfson Children’s Hospital’s Newborn Intensive Care Units.

Parents who receive the free red hats, which were knitted by volunteers, are also being connected to free heart screenings and wellness coaches at Baptist Health’s Y Healthy Living Centers.

Now in its fourth year, the “Little Hats, Big Hearts” campaign is the brainchild of Anne Schullo, a community engagement coordinator with the American Heart Association in Chicago. Schullo came up with the idea of starting a dialogue about heart disease by using a little red beanie as a conversation piece. From congenital heart disease in children to heart conditions we acquire as we age, the importance of heart health spans all age groups.

“You are reaching not only the mom, but also the grandmother, the siblings, etc.,” she said. “I was looking for something volunteers could do in the comfort of their own home on a year-round basis.”

“Little Hats, Big Hearts” honors the memory of Schullo’s childhood friend Courtney Lynn Ksepka, a former medical economics analyst who died unexpectedly of a heart arrhythmia at age 25.

“We knew each other since kindergarten. We even shared the same birthday,” said the 32-year-old Schullo, who started volunteering for the heart association not long after Courtney’s untimely death in 2008.

Wolfson Children's Hospital

Who’s in Your Close-Knit Circle?

The national campaign began at one Chicago hospital in February 2014, and has grown to more than 460 hospitals nationwide. Baptist Health is the first healthcare system in Northeast Florida to join the initiative. Moms at each Baptist hospital receive a red hat before they go home and a “Dear Mommy” postcard with tips on ways to take care of her heart.

To help spread the word, moms are encouraged to post a photo of their babies wearing their red hat on Instagram using #closeknitjax to show who’s in their close-knit circle of love.

Lori Strange-Paylor, senior director of the Jacksonville American Heart Association office, said the national campaign spoke to her on a personal level.

“Because heart disease runs in my family, the fear of getting pregnant was overwhelming,” said Strange-Paylor, who underwent a high-risk pregnancy at age 41. Today, her son, Luke, who was delivered at Baptist Jacksonville and cared for in Wolfson Children’s NICU, is a healthy 5-year-old.

“He’s my miracle baby,” she added.

Post a photo of someone who fills your heart – those near and dear to yours who help weave meaning and purpose into your life – on the Baptist Health Jacksonville Facebook page through the month of February!

 To connect year-round to practical tips and resources to keep you and your loved ones heart-healthy, visit baptistjax.com/heartwise.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here